Continued advances in long-distance, fiber-optic communications depend on high-quality laser sources. Since optical fibers exhibit lowest attenuation and dispersion at the wavelengths of 1.3 .mu.m and 1.55 .mu.m suitable sources should emit at these relatively long wavelengths in single-mode operation.
Traditionally, long-wavelength distributed feedback (DFB) lasers are employed in fiber-optic communications systems for their single longitudinal and transverse mode characteristics. However, fabricating DFB lasers involves very complicated and low-yield processes. Furthermore, the DFB laser performance is very sensitive to the surrounding temperature change. Thus, complicated electronics are needed in the transmitter to control the operating environment. These disadvantages render the DFB laser a very expensive light source and severely limit its application in the fiber-optic communications field.
Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) emitting in the 1.3 .mu.m and 1.55 .mu.m ranges have been visualized as promising candidates for replacing DFBs in telecommunications applications. Due to their extremely short cavity length (on the order of one lasing wavelength), VCSELs are intrinsically single longitudinal mode devices. This eliminates the need for complicated processing steps that are required for fabricating DFB lasers. Furthermore, VCSELs have the advantage of wafer-scale fabrication and testing due to their surface-normal topology.
Unfortunately, VCSELs suffer material limitations that are negligible in the case of short-wavelength VCSELs but drastically affect the performance of long-wavelength VCSELs. The small available refractive index difference .DELTA.n between reflective layers of the Distributed Bragg Reflectors (DBRs) requires that a large number of layers with high composition and thickness precision be used to achieve sufficient reflectivity. Also, the small .DELTA.n results in high diffraction losses. Furthermore, high free-carrier absorption loss limits the maximum achievable reflectivity and the high non-radiative recombination rate increases the electrical current for reaching the lasing threshold.
These problems have restricted prior art fabrication efforts to non-wafer-scale, complicated and low-yield processes such as wafer fusion described by D. I. Babic et al., "Room-Temperature Continuous-Wave Operation of 1.54 .mu.m Vertical-Cavity-Lasers", IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 7, No. 11, 1995, pp. 1225-1227 and Y. Ohiso et al., "1.55 .mu.m Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers with Wafer-Fused InGaAsP/InP--GaAs/AlAs DBRs", Electronics Letters, Vol. 32, No. 16, 1996, pp. 1483-1484. Alternatively, long-wavelength VCSELs have also been manufactured by dielectric evaporation as described by S. Uchiyama et al., "Low Threshold Room Temperature Continuous Wave Operation of 1.3 .mu.m GaInAsP/InP Strained Layer Multiquantum Well Surface Emitting Laser", Electronics Letters, Vol. 32, No. 11, 1996, pp. 1011-13; M. A. Fisher et al., "Pulsed Electrical Operation of 1.5 .mu.m Vertical-Cavity-Surface-Emitting Lasers", IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 7, No. 6, 1995, pp. 608-610 and T. Tadokoro et al., "Room Temperature Pulsed Operation of 1.5 .mu.m GaInAsP/InP Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers", IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 4, No. 5, 1992, pp. 409-411. Unfortunately, these methods do not allow one to efficiently grow long-wavelength VCSELs.
The prior art also addresses the problems associated with free-carrier absorption and non-radiative recombination which affect the threshold current. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,958 Kwon et al. states that current confinement in VCSELs is necessary to improve current efficiency. Kwon also teaches that a high .DELTA.n material should be used for top and bottom DBRs. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,577 Choquette et al. further expand on the current confinement issue and teaches oxidation of the material layers of the VCSEL for this purpose. Still more information on this issue is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,891 to Jewell.
Unfortunately, none of the prior art structures combines improved electrical properties with high DBR reflectivity. Moreover, the fabrication processes are difficult and preclude one-step methods.
Some recent attempts focus on reducing the number of DBR layers while preserving high reflectivity by growing the DBRs on a suitable substrate such as InP. For example, 0. Blum et al. teach the growth of AlAsSb/GaAsSb and AlAsSb/AlGaAsSb DBRs on InP in "Electrical and Optical Characteristics of AlAsSb/GaAsSb Distributed Bragg Reflectors for Surface Emitting Lasers", Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 67, Nov. 27, 1995, pp. 3233-35 and in "Digital Alloy AlAsSb/AlGaAsSb Distributed Bragg Reflectors Lattice Matched to InP for 1.3-1.55 .mu.m Wavelength Range", Electronics Letters, Vol. 31, No. 15, 1995, pp. 1247-8. Additional background information is also presented by T. Anan et al., "Improved Reflectivity of AlPSb/GaPSb Bragg Reflector for 1.55 .mu.m Wavelength", Electronics Letters, Vol. 30, No. 25, 1994, pp. 2138-9; B. Lambert et al., "High Reflectivity 1.55 .mu.m (Al)GaAsSb/AlAsSb Bragg Reflector Lattice Matched on InP Substrates", Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 66, No. 4, 1995, pp. 442-3 and L. Goldstein et al., "Metamorphic GaAs/AlAs Bragg Mirrors Deposited on InP for 1.3/1.55 .mu.gm Vertical Cavity Lasers", LEOS Summer Topical Meetings, pp. 49-50, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1997.
Thus, although preferable characteristics required of a 1.3/1.55 .mu.m VCSEL for fiber-optic communications have been identified, there are no prior art techniques for combining them together in one, easy-to-fabricate device.